


Tim Bradford's Night Off

by OfficersTucyChenford



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Male-Female Friendship, Protection, Trauma Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23496853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfficersTucyChenford/pseuds/OfficersTucyChenford
Summary: Tim Bradford's night off doesn't go as smoothly as he'd planned, but that's okay. Some things are more important.
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 50
Kudos: 214





	1. Well That's Not Good

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all,  
> In response to the amazing amount of feedback and support, I've decided to simply upload the entire story today. You can of course read it at your own pace, one chapter at a time or all at once. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy, darlings.
> 
> Always, AB ❥  
> @Officers-Tucy-Chenford

It was a Saturday night and he was off duty.

This week's prime time college football game of choice was playing on the TV in front of him.

The beer in his hand was cold and crisp.

Kojo was sleeping somewhere in the house, not causing any chaos.

Tim Bradford was enjoying the hard-earned down time after a long week. Intense calls followed by hours in the shop on patrol with zero action made for a slow shift, day after day, and the week had seemed to crawl by. That’s why he wasn’t too thrilled to see his phone’s screen flashing **Lucy Chen** at him on his quiet night off. Oh no. She knew better than to bother him outside of work unless it was an emergency. Plus, she had suffered the same boredom and adrenaline rushes he had. There was no way this was a friendly social call or something decidedly irrelevant. Figuring they were being called in for some reason, he answered with his usual gruff “Bradford.”

Silence. Oh he was so not in the mood for this tonight.

“Boot you’ve got ten seconds and I’m hanging up,“ he threatened.

“T-Tim,” she whispered. It was a little hard to understand her at first but as she spoke, her voice became louder until her distress was crystal clear. “I’m scared. I made a m-mistake and I don’t know what to do.”

Well that’s not good. _That’s not good at all_ , his mind screamed at him.

He leaned forward to grab the remote off the coffee table and muted the stellar touchdown unfolding on the screen. Damn.

“What did you do, Boot?” he asked slowly.

“I’m sorry, I’m really really sorry. I just, I need you, okay? I-I’m on a date. It’s not really a date, just casual drinks. Everything was fine until he grabbed my arm and I started to panic. I got up and locked myself into the first room I found. I thought I could handle it! I thought it would be okay and that having other cops around me would make me feel safe but it didn’t and then he said I couldn’t leave until I finished my drink. He _touched me_ a-and. . . “ she ranted until she had to pause for breath. She didn’t need to continue. Tim was off the couch before Lucy had gotten halfway through her rambling explanation. An explanation that did, in fact, not actually explain anything more than the basics; she was in the presence of other officers but she was still scared, alcohol was involved, and some unknown man was pressuring her to stay where she was.

He was shoving his feet into his shoes before he even verbalized a response.

“Send me the address.”

A moment later his phone chimed to alert him to a new message and, recognizing the bar, he placed the phone back to his ear. He could hear the occasional faint puff of air, and knew his rookie was close to having or already sinking into a panic attack. “Chen, where exactly are you? Where in the building? Focus.”

“The bathroom. I’m locked in the bathroom. Tim there are no windows,” she quietly sobbed.

His heart broke at the pitiful sound and the pieces began to beat rapidly at what she was implying. She was scared and alone locked in a small room with no windows. This wasn’t a simple panic attack. This was becoming a flashback situation. Football game forgotten, beer abandoned on his coffee table, he was out the door and behind the wheel of his truck within seconds, and on his way. Connecting his phone to the truck’s Bluetooth, he tossed his cell on the passenger seat and did his best to reassure his rookie that he would be there soon.


	2. Peter Rhodes

“I’m coming, Boot. I’m twenty minutes out without breaking any traffic laws. I need you to tell me about this guy you’re there with and how this all started. Don’t leave anything out. I need to know what I’m walking into,” he lied easily. He didn’t really need to know how the evening had started or about the fucker that was harassing her. But it would keep her focused on something and he needed her to stay as grounded as possible until he got there. He'd worry about how to handle the asshole at that point.

“His name is Peter Rhodes, 31 years old, brown hair and green eyes, just over 6 feet tall. He’s wearing dark jeans, a black tee, tan leather jacket and boots. He works as a veterinarian in Burbank off San Fernando Road. Owns his car, rents a house in Glendale not far from the mall. He’s single with one child, a daughter named-“

“Jesus Chen stop,” he huffed, cutting her off with a small chuckle. Half annoyed and half proud of his rookie for clearly having done her homework, he continued. “I got it. He’s a pretty boy animal lover with a kid. Now that you’ve given me a clear description and half his life story, why don’t you tell me how you ended up at a bar with this guy?”

“Shut up. You a-asked. Well, uhm, Peter was the vet who did Kojo’s checkup and shots before I fostered him. He called last week to do a follow-up, and needed us to come sign some paperwork about the adoption after I told him you had Kojo now. I didn’t want to bother you after the way our week had been going, so I went to fill out the transfer forms for both of us and ended up leaving with a date for tonight. I-I’m so stupid. I let him pick me up. I don’t have my car.” A small thump sounded in the background and Tim could picture Lucy hitting her forehead against the wall vividly in his mind. He smiled. And then something she’d said earlier sunk in, and his smile quickly disappeared.

“What do you mean he grabbed you?”

“Delayed reaction much, Bradford?”

“Don’t you sass me, Boot. I want to know what he did to trigger you. It’s important I know what set you off tonight so it isn’t repeated,” he states firmly in his best TO voice. Then, softer, he let her know exactly what his priority was. It was borderline unprofessional but he wouldn't apologize for feeling protective. It would never matter anybody said, he'd always hold himself responsible for her trauma and limited ability for accepting human contact. He'd failed to protect her from Caleb. Oh he knew _she_ didn't see it that way, but he did and he would _not_ fail her again. “I can’t respect or enforce your boundaries if I don’t know what they are, Lucy.”

Her little gasp didn’t go unnoticed.

Before she could say anything, Tim announced he was arriving. After telling Lucy to wash her face and take a deep breath, he hung up. Finding a parking spot down the block, he got out of his truck and made his way into the semi crowded bar. He didn’t bother looking for his Boot’s date; the asshole would either show his face when Lucy walked back into the room or he wouldn’t. He wasn’t Tim’s concern at the moment. Passing a few familiar faces, he gave his fellow officers a nod and continued into the hallway leading to the restrooms and other necessary storage rooms. Reaching the women’s room, he made sure nobody was hanging around the hall before he sent Lucy a short text message and waited for her to open the door.

**“I ain’t got all night, Boot.”**

The lock being disengaged was his only warning that Lucy was on the move before she came flying out the bathroom. Rushing to his side, she turned in both directions, as if she expected somebody to be there waiting to ambush her. It amused and concerned him at the same time. Without thinking about what he was doing, he reached out to put his arm around her back, intending to steer her toward the bar’s front door when BAM! Pain exploded in his side. He wasn’t prepared for the punch his little rookie threw at him, catching him just below his ribs. He also wasn’t prepared for her to jump back and away from him. He held his now-aching side and took a moment to study her body language. It hasn't really hurt much, but he also hadn't thought she'd react that way to him of all people. With her back pressed to the wall across the hallway from him, eyes flashing and hands fisted at waist level, she was the very picture of distress. It hurt him deeply and angered him to see her this way. 

_Son of a bitch, she’s not fully aware yet_ , he mentally cursed.

She slowly seemed to realize what she’d just done, which caused her face flushed and she quickly muttered an apology for lashing out. He knew it wasn't personal. Deciding it was time to get out of there so she could start calming herself down, Tim simply nodded and gestured for her to take the lead. He watched her push her body off the wall, put her emotional armor back on, and take one hesitant step. One after another, she made her way out of the hallway and into the main area of the bar. Standing just behind and to her right, Tim watched her head turn slightly and knew she was scanning the room for signs of trouble. Specifically, signs of her date. _Her date._ Man that rubbed him the wrong way. In all fairness, she could have had a lovely romantic evening with the most worthy man alive, and it still would have bugged him. Yeah, he wasn’t going to think about that. Her was her training officer, and with that role came responsibility and restrictions. Their growing friendship was already toeing the line-

“Lucy, hey you’re back.”

_Ah_. So this was her date. 


	3. Second Mistake

“I was beginning to think you’d never come out of the bathroom. What happened?”

A quick flick of his eyes was all it took to size up the man who was walking towards them. Well, towards Lucy. He hadn’t seemed to notice Tim yet. That would be Pete The Veterinarian’s second mistake of the evening.

“Uhm, yeah. ‘Sorry about that. I just needed a minute. I don’t like to be touched-“

“After what that Caleb guy did to you, yeah I can understand that.”

_What the actual fuck-_

Tim would later swear that everything in the bar came to a complete stop. Maybe it was just his own heart that froze, his lungs that seemed to forget how to fill themselves with air. And Lucy? She had the deepest look of shock on her face, her spine so rigid he was concerned she’d snap. He didn’t know what to say or do in the moment, too stunned that this asshole both knew about, and would casually comment on, Lucy’s trauma. The thing that spurred Tim Bradford into action was the way his Boot shifted ever so slightly back towards him, as if seeking his protection without even realizing she was doing it. Not caring at that point about anything but the red hot rage that flooded his system over Lucy’s reaction to this guy, Tim stepped around her and placed himself between them which effectively removed her from Peter’s line of sight. He didn’t need to hear anything else the younger man said at that point. If he knew even the most basic of details about Lucy’s abduction and still thought putting his hands on her in any way was acceptable, his judgement clearly wasn’t sound. Taking the half step needed to bring himself toe to toe with the idiot, Tim spoke in a low voice that implied very bad things would happen if he was disobeyed.

“I don’t know how you got _Miss Chen_ to agree to come out with you tonight, nor do I care, but it will not be repeated. Do not contact her for any reason. Any man worth his balls would never be so casual with a female who is recovering from a trauma about her need for physical limitations. Now, I suggest you say goodnight, Pete.”

Confusion. Fear. Anger. Determination. Jealousy.

These were the emotions that kept fighting for dominance in Peter’s eyes while he stared back at the furious police officer who’d replaced his date in his field of view. It was amazing to watch, really. Tim knew the exact moment this guy realized who he was, and wasn’t surprised when the fucker addressed him by name despite not having been introduced.

“I’m sure _Lucy_ can tell me get lost herself, _Officer_ Bradford. She's a big girl. Unless, of course, she doesn’t want to. I’d say her silence on the matter speaks for itself,” Peter drawled with a cocky smirk that did nothing to lessen Tim’s desire to punch him. "Lucy, honey, why don't you come sit back down with me and we can continue our conversation. Without any touching, I promise. We'll save that for when you get to know me better."

Before Tim could open his mouth to reply, he felt a small hand press against his waist from behind. As quickly as the touch registered in his brain, he also became aware that the hand was resting directly over the same spot Lucy's fist had landed just a few minutes ago. It was a clear message. A simple gesture that solidified his resolve to remove her from the situation.

He let a smirk of his own settle on his face before saying, “If she had disagreed with anything I said to you, she’d have made it known. The fact that she’s still standing behind me _speaks for itself_. Enjoy your evening, Mr. Rhodes.” And with that parting shot, Tim turned and began dragging Lucy out the front door with a firm hand on her elbow. She didn’t fight him, he noticed. Once out on the sidewalk, he paused to take a deep breath and released her arm. It wasn’t lost on either of them that she hadn’t reacted badly to having Tim’s hand on her this time, even though this whole situation had been caused by having a hand on her arm in the first place.

_I’m her TO, it’s different. She trusts me not to hurt her_ , he reasoned.

Pointing to his truck, they walked side by side in silence. They were almost to his vehicle when Peter emerged from the bar.


	4. No Way Boot

"Hey!" Peter shouted, coming after them. _  
  
  
Strike three asshole,_ Tim thought as he turned to address the man who'd just made himself a threat without realizing it. He could practically feel his rookie's own anger rising. This guy just couldn't take a hint. How many mistakes was this guy going to make in one night? God Tim really wanted to find out. It would give him plenty of reason to put Pete on his ass. . . not that Tim needed another reason, truth be told. Knowing this idiot's hand had been on Lucy was enough to make him see red.

"Is he serious?" the small female next to him fumed, hands on her hips and shoulders squared. Now that she'd had a chance to collect herself, she was nearly back to normal. _There's my girl_ , Tim thinks before he can stop himself.

"Welcome back, Boot," is he what he actually says, glancing at her without taking his attention off the man heading their way. The smile that appears on Lucy's face is stunning; like the woman wearing it, it's soft yet full of confidence and strength. Just like that, she's back to her usual self. And damn, his rookie is a spitfire when mad. His musings were interrupted when Peter got within feet of them and began to spew angry words at Tim while glaring at Lucy.

“It makes sense, y’know,” he sneered. “Why you adopted the damn dog. You already have yourself a nice little bitch here. Taking in a stud for her must have been a no-brainer. Now you have a complete set! You must be pretty confident not to worry about having some competition." Peter shifted his focus to Lucy. "Or do you just not mind having two males share you, _Officer Chen_? Hahahahaha - _oopfh_.”

"You sick motherfucker!" thundered a very enraged Tim Bradford right before he threw himself forward, planting his fist into the face of Lucy's disgraced date. Neither of them had realized how much Peter had clearly had to drink until this moment. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, followed by the thump of a body hitting the pavement reached Lucy’s ears before she’d even realized Tim was no longer next to her. Lucy screamed and reached down to separate the two men punching eachother on the sidewalk. Tim knew they had to be drawing unwanted attention but he didn't care anymore. His just kept wailing on the guy. Once, twice, a dozen times? Nobody was keeping count. The first punch that Peter had been able to land had been his last. Now he was just trying to protect his face from Tim's blows. After what could have been an hour or maybe just a minute, Lucy finally got a solid hold on her TO and dragged him to his feet. Turning him to face her, she placed her left hand on his neck just below his right ear and studied his face for damage. She didn't even flinch at the bruise forming on his cheek, simply nodded to herself and dropped her hand to hold it out between them. "Keys."

"Pfft, no way Boot. You are not driving my truck. Go on and get in, it's unlocked. I'll be right there once I finish-" Tim started, but was cut off by a new arrival to their private shitshow for three.  
  
  
"Is everything alright over here, Bradford?" came a voice from near the door of the bar.

It was one of the officers Tim had greeted when he'd first arrived. Excellent. "Roberts, hey. As a matter of fact no, it's not. This asshat assaulted my partner, Officer Chen, then proceeded to follow us out. He escalated the situation by coming after us, and by talking shit in a manner that bordered on threatening, so I decked him. Is this," he said pointing at the moaning lump of human on the floor, "going to be a problem?"  
  


Looking first at Lucy for confirmation of Tim's story, then back at Tim, then Peter, the other officer's gaze finally came to rest back in Tim. "I see. Nope. You two have a nice night. I'm sorry for your trouble, Officer Chen."

And with that, the man merely walked back into the building, leaving the asshole on the ground where Tim had dropped him.

_Well okay then_.


	5. Hurricane Chen

It's quiet in the truck as he drives them away from the bar and makes his way towards the freeway.

His jaw aches from Peter's lucky hit.

Her head is pounding from the stress.

Neither of them are ready to break the silence just yet. Speaking would imply that there is something to say. Then, while sitting at a red light a few miles later, they both begin apologizing at the same time. He's sorry for beating up her date, she's sorry for dragging him into her mess. He's sorry she felt she couldn't ask him to go with her to get Kojo's paperwork squared away, she's sorry for ruining his much-deserved night off. He's sorry she was scared, she's sorry he had to protect her.

"You're always saving me," she says, eyes down as she fiddles with the cuff of her jacket's sleeve. "I hope you know I appreciate it, Tim. I'm not that great at always expressing it, but, it means the world to me that I can come to you when I need to. I'm sorry I'm not stronger, that I'm not okay yet. I'll do better. I promise. Please don't give up on me. I'm working hard to make us both proud. You at work and myself in private. I can do it, so just be patient with me, okay?"

It breaks his heart, and if he wasn't currently taking the on-ramp and merging into the flow of traffic, he'd pull over and park the truck. He's prefer to have this conversation face to face, not while he's focused on driving, but he understand that some things are easier to talk about in the darkness. Still, her confession and the feelings it reveals bother him. She isn't weak. He hates that that's how she views herself after what happened, first with Caleb months ago and then with Peter tonight.

"Lucy, can I ask you something?" he says slowly, not entirely sure this is how he should proceed but curious all the same.

"Of course. Anything. Well, not _anything_ anything, but yes."

"Was my ex-wife's addiction my fault?" he asked in a low voice filled with barely-concealed pain.

Oh that was obviously not what she was expecting him to say, if the way she whips her head up to stare at him like he was a complete nutjob was any indication. _Interesting_. He continued as if he hadn't caught her reaction. Like Lucy, being in the semi-darkness of the truck made it easier to speak his truth. "I've always thought it was me. That I hadn't done something right, or that I had done something wrong. I let my grief and my anger dictate my actions, my choices, and how I viewed myself. I don't need to elaborate on any of that though; you've seen first hand what Isabel's addiction did to me. How I handled things and made a mess of it all. I'm still healing from the self-doubt, the guilt, the betrayal and the shame." Tim took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He changed lanes, risked a glance at his rookie sitting quietly in his passenger seat, then focused again on the car in from of them. "Was it my fault for not being stronger?" he asked.

Lucy didn't know what to say. She couldn't even attempt to reply. Her shock at hearing her hard ass, brick wall of a TO open up to her on such an emotional topic was rendering her speechless. Then, it hit her. What he was suggestion about himself. . . and all Hell broke loose inside Tim Bradford's truck. Hurricane Chen was on the move, all indignant anger and arms gesturing wildly as she spoke, and damn was she a sight to behold.

"Is this a joke?! Really, Tim, is that how you see yourself? What Isabel did was her choice, her failure, and it in no way reflects on you; as a man or a husband or an officer! Of course you're still healing! This is going to stay with you for a very long time and that's okay. Healing should take time. Ugh, I'm so mad at you. You should know better than to blame yourself. You're one of the strongest men I know, and it has nothing to do with your size or muscles. You have such a kind heart, Tim. Don't hurt it by taking on the guilt and shame over something that was never within your control."

She was flushed and her breaths were coming in angry little puffs by the time she paused in her tirade.

All he could do was sit there, hoping that his eyes weren't bulging too far out of their sockets, that his fingers didn't snap the steering wheel in his grip, that his eyebrows eventually left their hiding place in his hairline and that his jaw managed to climb out of his lap before he drooled all over himself.


	6. Bloodlust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all,  
> I'm so sorry about the delay. I'm not entirely happy with the way this chapter has been turning out, but I'm going to post it anyway to see if my self-doubt eases once it's out there. I so appreciate your patience! Please don't ever hesitate to leave some feedback if you feel the urge. Love notes or criticism, it all helps be grow as a writer. 
> 
> Always, AB ❥  
> @Officers-Tucy-Chenford

"I'm serious, Tim," she continued. "God I hate her! I hate Isabel for what she did to you, can you even begin to _understand_ that? That little twit somehow managed to victimize you and neglect you at the same damn time. You, 'the great' Tim Bradford! Shut up, don’t let that comment go to your already massive ego, Tim. I’m serious. _Stop fucking smiling_. I hate that you’re still suffering due to her bad behavior. You second guess yourself so much, and this guilt is holding you back from moving on. Ugh. I'm not even sorry about it either,” she spat out, folding her arms over her chest and sinking even further into his passenger seat like it was her favorite comfy chair. She was doing a fantastic impression of a moody teenager at the moment. “Hating her, that is. I don't care how many pushups you make me do for saying so. I could be happy pretending the burn in my arms was from punching her, once for every time she took a drug. Objectively I'm glad she's been able to get herself together and all, but that will never make what she did to you and your marriage any less awful."

Tim wasn't sure what surprised him more, his Boot having such strong opinions about how he viewed himself and his failed marriage, or the fact that she would so passionately express them to him without pause. They tended to avoid the personal feelings thing when on duty, and didn’t spend much time together outside of work. Listening to her talk about him like he wasn’t the world’s biggest failure was like applying aloe to a sunburn; it soothed and cooled the burning ache. It was something they had touched on lightly but never in detail like this. It gave him a warm feeling, something he identified as similar to affection. Which, of course, would be very unprofessional for a Training Officer and their rookie, but then again, hadn't his actions tonight already crossed that line and left it in his rear view mirror?

“Ah Hell, Lucy,” he whispered.

  
Tim couldn’t decide if he was going to cry like a pussy or burst out laughing like a lunatic.

It wasn't funny. It was actually kinda tragic, when you really thought about it. But at some point during Lucy's verbal rampage against his former wife, a genuine smile had broken out across his face. He was amused, humbled, and overall enjoying her ramblings. Nobody had ever stood up for him like this, and even though it was after the fact, he would never be able to tell his Boot just how much it meant that she thought highly enough of him as a person to go to bat for him. He took the off-ramp, and turned to study her when they pulled up to the traffic light. A moment later, the light changed and he resumed his driving.

“You’re a vicious little thing,” he teased her, trying to lighten the heavy tension that was now filling the space around them. “Why am I just now learning you have a bit of bloodlust in you, Chen? That would have been useful to know.”

“Ha! Spare me, Bradford. My 'bloodlust' only comes out when I’m defending what’s mine.”

_Wait, what?_

He must have said that out loud because she responded. “You’re _my_ training officer, my mentor. I’m here to learn from you, which means I need you to be at your best. How can you train me to be a great cop if you settle yourself for only being a good one? If something is threatening your ability to be your best, to be confident in your judgement and actions, I’m going to do everything I can to protect you from it. For both our sakes, and-”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes. I can begin to understand. I actually understand perfectly. . . Boot.”

“I’m sure you think you do, but-”

“I hate Caleb. I _hate him_ the way you hate Isabel,” he said with such force that Lucy tensed. He hadn’t meant to startle her, but hearing her emotional rant on his behalf had given the courage to share his own feelings, and she deserved to know, to hear the raw truth. “Everything you said, everything you see in me as a result of what I had to deal with, the flaws and the strength, everything that was done to me and how you wish you could ease the hurt- I’m there, Chen. I have been since I found out you were taken. You think I wouldn’t trade what’s left of my soul for five minutes with Caleb and my bare hands? One hit for every second you were in the barrel? One for every moment of fear and hopelessness you suffered. Isabel humiliated and abandoned me, but that piece of shit Caleb actually _murdered_ you, Lucy! And I have to live with that. Every day when I see you walk in at the station, my fingers twitch from the memory of having to check for a pulse, and my lungs ache from drowning in the shame I feel. I did not protect you and I will spend every minute I’m your training officer, and long after, making up for that mistake. So don’t ever assume I don’t understand, don’t ever think I won’t come when you call like I did tonight. You need me, I’m there. I may give you shit for it, but I will always come.”

That’s when he heard the first sniffle.

He jerked his gaze to her face in time to see the first of many tears begin to fall from her wide eyes. He hadn’t meant to make her cry, but he needed to explain why he’d asked about Isabel. So even though it was hard for him, he kept right on talking, because being vulnerable was somehow easier with Lucy than anybody he’d known before.

“What you said about healing, about me being strong despite what life had done to me, well. . . back at ‘cha. It applies to you too, Lucy, all of it. You’re so brave, and you’re so strong, that no matter what has happened to you, you’re going to get through it. You’re going to heal. Not at once, but every day one small piece of you will fall back in to place and you’ll be whole again. That day does not define you, nor does any part of your road to recovery. You are an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, and you are courageous. You are a good friend, and you are loved. You are a kind young woman, and you are nothing less than amazing. You might not be as strong today as you were the day Caleb took you, but you’ll be stronger tmrw. And even stronger the day after that. I fucking refuse to hear you think anything different.”

By this point Lucy was openly crying. She’d bowed her head and seemed to curl in on herself there in the seat of his truck, yet Tim was oddly content to let her release her emotions without trying to stop her.

_All she needed was a safe place to let it all out,_ he told himself.

So he let her cry there, riding shotgun in his truck, and tried to tell himself that it would only be this once. He pulled out his phone to send a quick text when they pulled up to the next red light, then simply kept driving once it turned green. It took a few minutes for his rookie to calm herself down, wipe her face as best she could, and quietly thank him. He nodded. Nothing else needed to be said. They were so good at reading eachother that words weren’t necessary most of the time. Enough had been shared tonight, and both been given a lot to take in and think about. They spent the remained of the short drive in comfortable silence.


	7. You Poor Bastard

Tim was deep in thought as he pulled onto his street, into his driveway, and hopped out of the truck. He was unlocking his front door when he felt Lucy come up next to him. As soon as the door swung open, he quickly spun and put an arm around her to pull her away from it. Just in time, too. Kojo came leaping out on to the porch, and would have knocked them both down if Tim hadn’t reacted when he did. “’Sorry, he hasn’t learned not to come flying when I open the door yet . . .”

. . . aaand she wasn’t even listening to him. Typical. Lucy was sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around the damn dog, giggling and muttering lovey-dovey things into his fur. In that moment, Tim realized he hadn’t even thought about where he was going when they left the bar, but now knew that deep down this was the only possible outcome. His Boot needed all the comfort she could get and that included her therapy dog tonight. To be fair, she hadn’t asked where he was headed either. He'd have to scold her for that later. She should always question where a man was taking her when she got into his vehicle, or better yet, before she even entered the vehicle.

Letting out an exaggerated grunt of annoyance, he left the pair on the floor outside and made his way over to the couch. He had been in such a rush to reach his rookie earlier that he hadn’t even turned off the TV when he'd left his house. Considering he’d only been gone just over an hour, the football game was still on. Ignoring his now-warm beer he kicked off his shoes and resumed his place in front of the screen to watch the final quarter.

Sometime later, he heard his front door close and the pitter patter of paws mixed with the tap tap tap of footsteps coming into the room. He didn’t look away from the game. Lucy flopped down on his couch like she’d done it a thousand times when in reality she’d never been over, kicked off her shoes as he had, and proceeded to snuggle into the cushions until she found a comfortable spot. A minute later Kojo joined his mistress and settled himself across her legs. Normally he wasn’t allowed on the furniture but Tim pretended not to notice, too engrossed in the action playing out on the field. There were seconds left on the clock and the home team was setting up for what would probably be the final play of the game-

“T-Tim?” came a sleepy voice from the other side of the couch.

“Now what, Boot?” he huffed, not looking at her. This was is. There went the snap.

“We need to find a new vet for Kojo,” Lucy said on a yawn.

"Yeah, we'll do that," he said distractedly, eyes glued to the unfolding play.

_‘Touchdown, Trojans! And that’s the game, ladies and gentlemen, another victory for the University of Southern California!”_

“Yes! YEAH BABY! Victory!” shouted Tim, jumping up and throwing his fist in the air in celebration. Turning to see Lucy’s reaction to the remarkable touchdown play, he wasn’t entirely surprised to find his rookie fast asleep in the corner of his couch, arms still wrapped around her fur-child. However, the sight itself did cause him to do a double-take. She was right of course, they'd need to find a new vet to care for the beast, but that was tmrw's problem. For now he was content to let the pair rest while he took the time to unwind after the shitshow that was Lucy's date.

_Finally- peace and quiet,_ he mused to himself. 

Walking into his kitchen to put his beer in a glass with ice, he checked his phone and saw he had two missed text messages from Jackson West. He'd sent him a message on the way home to tell him Lucy was with him and safe. He knew they all worried about her when she wasn't with at least one of her fellow officers from their little group. Quickly finishing his drink, he opened his phone and hit reply.

" **Come get your bestie.** "

" **I'm leaving right now. She's okay right? Nothing bad happened?** "

**"You've got my address. She's asleep with the dog on the couch. It's pathetic but she's good now."** He snapped a picture and sent it.

  
  
**"Aw how cuteee!"**

**"Drive, boot."**

He'd chosen not to say anything about what had occurred at the bar. That would be up to Lucy to share if she wanted to. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he made his way down the hall to use the bathroom and change his clothes. He wasn't concerned about leaving Lucy alone, Kojo would alert him if she woke up. On a normal day, Tim Bradford would have many issues with this entire situation, but after the week they'd had and the way the evening had gone, he was too worn out to care about his rookie being in his home.

His frazzled nerves were soothed by the fact that she was close by.

_You poor bastard_ , his mind laughed at him.

He took his time getting ready for bed and did odd little chores around his house until he heard the doorbell ring. Exiting his bedroom, he wasn't surprised to see his Boot had woken up at the sound. Kojo was on his feet and standing between his human and the doorway, and Lucy had a look of confusion on her face. She blinked slowly and looked around, panicking slightly until her gaze rested on him. "Easy, Luce. It's just Jackson. He's here to take you home," he reassured her before opening the front door.

"Officer Bradford, uh sir, thanks for doing this. Where's Lucy?"

"West, hey. She's over there. Get this little girl out of my house so I can have my dog back," he greeted the younger officer, shaking the hand he offered. By now Lucy was slipping her shoes back on and full awake. Hearing him call her a little girl, she shot a glare at him that would have melted a lesser man. Tim just smirked. He watched as she gathered her small purse from the hook she'd apparently hung it on when she first arrived, bent down to snuggle Kojo, then looked over at him as she stood next to her roommate. "How many?'" she asked with a tired smile on her face.

"How many what?"

"Push ups. How many push ups am I going to have to give you for this?"

Tim laughed softly, eyes kind when he looked at her. "As many as it takes for the burn in your arms to make you happy, Boot."

The look she gave him was full of understanding, telling him she knew exactly what he meant. With a small wave, she took Jackson's arm and began dragging him to his car parked behind Tim's truck in the driveway. When West asked her if he was really going to punish her with push ups for going on a bad date, Lucy merely laughed. The sound was something neither of the men would ever take for granted. Closing the door, Tim almost missed her reply.

"Oh it's not a punishment, it's a thankyou."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done!  
> Thankyou sincerely to everybody who's stuck with me to this point. Your support, feedback, and patience has been wonderful. I've enjoyed my first experience with sharing my writings, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again soon. 
> 
> Always, AB ❥  
> @Officers-Tucy-Chenford


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